Tanxgizin'
by capnnerefir
Summary: Sur-freakin'-prize. I wrote a short lil R/T fic. I know, I'm as shocked as you are. Even more surprising, I updated it...several months after the holiday for which it's named! Didn't see that coming, now did you? I certainly didn't. You know the dril.
1. Chapter 1

Hey kids! Over here in the U.S. of A., we have a quirky lil holiday called Thanksgiving (or Tanxgizin', as we (by which I mean I) call it here (by which I mean my mind), where we celebrate that brief period of time between the time we met the natives and the time we killed them. Holidays always put me in odd moods (and at the moment it's 3 a.m., so that might be part of it), so I tend to write outside of my usual sphere. So here, just for the holidays, is one of the last things you'd probably expect from me: some sappy T/R drabble! Yeah, yeah, I know; I'm as shocked as you are.

This thang takes place…eh…let's say just shortly after…um…Oh, let's say…book…number…mmm…thirty…hmm…six? Yeah; let's go with that. That was after the whole freaky Nertec thang, wasn't it? Yeah, and just before everyone was pissed with Rachel for taking charge. Thirty six it is. Ah no, f that; this is going to be at the end of 35. Do most writers edit this sort of thing out? I'd probably do it if I was up at a human hour. Besides, this is supposed to be a nice, fun one! Enjoy my good mood!

Hmm…let's start by chicking this up.

* * *

**Rachel's POV** (ladies, sorry, but I don't know how you think, so if Rachel comes off wrong, don't blame me. Yeah, yeah, I know; I did fine in book 59. But that wasn't some sappy romance; I'm totally on my own with this one. If I knew how you gals thought, I'd have better things to do than write fan fiction at 3 a.m.)

It was really weird being at Marco's dad's wedding, for a few reasons. I've know Marco for a long time; it's hard not to when you live in this town and he's my cousin's best friend. So it was weird for me to see his dad getting married, even if I had never even met his mother. What was weirder was that I knew his mother was actually alive somewhere.

I'll admit, though that I wasn't really concentrating on the wedding. I was…distracted…by a lot of other things. Trying to keep Jordan and Sara quiet, trying to get Jake and Cassie to take a hint, and all sorts of other little things. But on to top of it all, I was kind of annoyed. Where was he? He said he'd be here. I knew he had to be careful, with the time limit, but still…

Yeah, you guessed it. I was waiting for Tobias like some stupid, helpless girl. I know, not my style; but there really wasn't anything I could do. I couldn't go and leave to find him and I definitely couldn't morph in this dress, though it was tight enough. He and Ax were supposed to show up…

I scanned the sky for most of the service. I probably looked bored; not even close. Every bird in the air caught my attention, even the ones I knew weren't him. Even if he was just a speck in the sky, I'd recognize him even if it was just from the way he flew. And the northern harrier pretending not to follow him would be a bit of a tipoff.

There! In the sky: two specks. I knew it was them. _Where have you been?_ I mouthed.

Sorry, Rach, he said in my head. Wanted to wait 'til the last minute. I didn't want to have to skip out on you during the dancing; I know how much you love to dance. I smiled; yes, I did love to dance. He hated it. We'll be there in a few minutes.

I had hid their clothing nearby. Once they got dressed, it would only take them a few moments to get here. It shouldn't have taken them more than ten minutes.

Twenty minutes later, I heard a faint voice in my head. Rachel, Tobias and I are in need of some assistance…

No we're not, Tobias insisted. I can handle this. I just have to remember how this goes on…

_Oh God; what was going on?_ I wondered with a little dread. At the same time, I was kind of amused. There was something funny about the two of them in human morph. But not if they were left unattended. That was when things got scary.

I made some excuse to my mother and headed off to where they were supposed to be dressed. It wasn't a long walk, but I had to hurry; if I wasn't there when Marco's dad and Nora tied the knot, he'd never let me hear the end of it.

I found the two of them in a little clearing in a strip of woods not far from the wedding. It was ridiculous. How could the two of them not put on suits? Maybe, maybe, I can understand Ax. Tobias had no excuse, and he looked worse. Shirt untucked, vest unbuttoned, tie…just dangling there. Unacceptable.

I tucked in his shirt, buttoned his vest, and fixed his tie in short order. When I was tucking in his shirt, he just couldn't resist saying, "Really, in front of Ax? Try to control yourself, Rach. I don't look _that_ good in a suit…" I slapped him gently. _Gently_, mind you.

My mom noticed me showing back up with two guys. She gave me a look; you know the one. That look that says, "We'll talk about this later." At the moment, though, I didn't care. All I cared about was that Tobias was actually here.

I won't go into the details of the rest of the wedding. Really, there aren't many details I remember. Just him.

Of course, I remember the end, when he had to go. Jake would come back later and get their stuff. And I remember the car ride home. My mother, even though she was driving, turned to me and said, "So, what's his name?"

"Who?"

"The boy you were dancing with the whole time," Jordan interjected. "When do we get to meet him?"

My mother ignored her. "We'll discuss it later. Right now, I just want to know what his name is."

"Tobias."

She nodded. "I see. And does Tobias have a last name?"

"Uh…no?" I realized then that I had absolutely no clue what his last name was. "I thought you said we were going to talk about it _later_."

The rest of the ride home was silent. Of course, when we got there, my mom ordered Jordan and Sara out of the car and then locked the doors. Oh God. Not this talk again. I could face Yeerks, Hork-bajir, and Visser Three himself; I could not face this one more time.

"So tell me about Tobias."

Never mind, this conversation as worse. If my mother was a Controller, this conversation could lead to one of us killing the other. "What do you want to know?"

"The obvious things. Where does he live? What's his family like? Does he go to your school? How long have you two been seeing each other behind my back? And don't try to deny that last part, it was pretty obvious that you two have been together for a bit."

I sighed. What could I tell her? That he lived in a tree in the middle of the forest? That his father was a dead alien? That he had to disappear from school because he got turned into a bird? No, not really. But I could tell a little bit of it. "He lives with his uncle in a little place not far from Cassie's," I sort-of-lied. Ax was technically Tobias's uncle, but they didn't exactly live together. Close enough.

"With his uncle? So no parents, then."

"None," I agreed.

"And he goes to your school?"

"He…he used to. He..had to drop out," I admitted. "His uncle needed a lot of help with a lot of important things."

"So he's a dropout."

"Only technically. His uncle knows more than any of the teachers at our school," I argued. That was definitely true. When it came to math or any sort of science, Ax was light-years ahead of the rest of our race. "He's homeschooled."

"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" she asked. "And how long have you been seeing him?" I hated how she said it like that; like there was no question about it. But I guess there wasn't.

"A few months," I decided. That was counting from the time I thought David had killed him, when I realized how much he meant to me. But really, I guess it started long before that. Really, it started about as soon as this war did. Really, it had been about a year longer than I told her.

She was silent for a few moments. Then she decided, "I think I need to meet this boy. Thanksgiving's tomorrow. See if he and his uncle can come over."

I swallowed hard. It wasn't the thought of Tobias and my mom meeting. Tobias had just recently survived hours in a Yeerk torture chamber; he could handle my mother. What scared me was the thought of Ax around all that food…

* * *

Oh my! What will happen? Will Naomi discover their secret? Will Ax eat an entire Tanxgizin' feast by himself? Will Rachel and Tobias up this rating to M? Will I write and post the rest of this before the actual Tanxgizin' (probably not; I've got no idea what my access will be like over my vacation)? Only one man has the answer; he isn't me, though, so don't ask.


	2. Chapter 2 Finally!

First, let's have a moment of silence for anyone who was holding their breath waiting for this, since they are most certainly dead by now. I miss you, you magnificient, loyal, devoted, foolish, beautiful reader. I miss you dearly.

Oka, moving on...

Remember how, at the end of the first chappity I said:

_"Oh my! What will happen? Will Naomi discover their secret? Will Ax eat an entire Tanxgizin' feast by himself? Will Rachel and Tobias up this rating to M? Will I write and post the rest of this before the actual Tanxgizin' (probably not; I've got no idea what my access will be like over my vacation)? Only one man has the answer; he isn't me, though, so don't ask."_

Well, looks like I definitely wasn't going to finish it before the actual holiday... There is absolutely no way to explain why I stopped this fic or why it is so late. I can say, however, that I was reminded of its existance by Martiny the One and Only Still (and no, I don't expect you to memorize that name). So enjoy this very, very, inexplicably late chappity.

* * *

**Tobias's's's's POV** (yeah, those "'s"s were intentional. See, since the name Tobias ends with the letter "s", the possessive form should use an s', making it Tobias'. However, most people [myself included, though on my part it's an conscious decision to make the writing more colloquial] write the possessive as Tobias's. So I thought it would be funny to add more of those unnecessary "'s"s, since they have just as much right to be there as the original "'s". Anyhow...)

Rachel came to see me the day after the wedding. I wasn't surprised, really. She's started visiting more and more frequently. ((You just can't get enough of me, can you?)) I joked. She landed on the ground and started to demorph from her eagle form.

((Yeah, you know me: I can't resit a guy with a cute beak.))

((In that case, remind me to kill that Cooper's who lives about a mile north of here.))

((Will do.)) She was silent for the rest of her transformation. "So," she said when she was at last human again, "my mother..."

((What about her?))

"Could you demorph for a moment? I think it would help."

((I live to serve,)) I sighed. I didn't bother reminding her that for me it was morphing, not _de_morphing. She knows that. I think she's just trying to make a point that I'm still a human. It's an old argument. I have it with her, with Ax, with myself... I'm not sure whose side I'm on. But I did know that it wasn't a good idea to start a casual argument with that girl. If you're going to start a fight, you'd best make it worth your while.

She talked while I morphed, "My mother started asking about you after the wedding. She sort of...figured out that we've been seeing each other. She wants to meet you."

That broke my concentration. ((Who? What? Why? When? Where?))

"You and Ax. Meet you. Because you're my boyfriend. Tonight. My house. For Thanksgiving dinner," she told me, answering my questions in the correct order. "I can make up some excuse for Ax not being there, but she won't accept you not showing up."

((What does she know about Ax? Why would she bring him into this?))

"She started asking me about you. Where you lived, for example. So I told her you lived with your uncle. Not exactly a lie."

((What else did you tell her?))

"Just a few things she insisted on being told."

((I.E....))

"You're homeschooled, if she asks. You had to drop out because your uncle needed your help with important stuff." Well, she was kind of telling the truth with that one. I had to drop out of school because I was sort of a red-tailed hawk. And I had to stay that way in order to fight the Yeerks; that was something important that Ax needed my help with.

((Anything else?))

"That's it," she promised. "But I also said you'd come to Thanksgiving dinner with us. There's no getting around that one."

((Fine. It's been a while since I had an actual meal.))

That was how, three hours later, I found myself in a suit, standing before Rachel's front door. Weird...I had been in her house a lot, but this would be the first time I used the door. I wasn't going to mention that to anyone, though; somehow I doubted her mother would find that fact comforting.

A little girl opened the door. Sara, I assumed. I knew Rachel had a younger sister, and I had seen pictures of her in several places throughout the house. We had never met, though. That would have been pretty awkward.

"Hi!" she said brightly, like I was someone she was glad to meet. Her enthusiasm kind of threw me off. I stood there, looking at her for a few moments.

"...Hi..." I responded, unsure what to say. Then I remembered that I was supposed to smile when I was trying to be friendly. How do you do that again? It's not so easy to smile when you have to make a conscious effort to do it. Go ahead and try it. Doesn't that feel weird?

I twisted my face into what I hoped was a smile. Sara giggled. "Sara?" another female voice called. "Who's at the door?" Another girl came into view. She was maybe a year or two younger than I was. Dark hair and eyes. Rachel's other sister. What was her name... Jenna? Julia? Jordan! Yeah, that was it. Like that river in...wherever the heck that river is. One of those Mideastern countries, I think.

Cut a guy some slack! You try dropping out of school and turning into a bird, getting your education from an alien. Geography isn't my strong suit. But I bet I can find a mouse faster than you can. And _nobody _fights off a raccoon better than I do.

"What's so funny?" Jordan asked, looking from me to Sara.

"He was making funny faces," Sara told her.

_I was_? I thought. Must have been my attempt at a smile. Then I realized I had forgotten to hold my mouth in the right position; I had lapsed back into my usual lack of expression. Dang, this was hard work. No wonder Andalties evolved without faces, it makes things a heck of a lot easier.

Jordan gave me a look I was too far gone to understand. "Now why would you be doing that?"

"Uh...accident?" I suggested.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Rachel's upstairs. She'll be down in a few minutes. Just...have a seat somewhere I guess." She turned over her shoulder. "Mom! Rachel's boyfriend's here!" I felt a chill run down my spine. Maybe it was the use of a contraction following a possessive.

I went inside and sat down on the couch. It was weird, doing that. I wasn't used to sitting on stuff. Perching, sure, but not sitting. It was odd, how different the house looked through human eyes. I had been here before, more than a few times. Almost every time, I was my usual self. Only once before had I been here as a human, and then I had to leave pretty quickly, since Jordan got home early. That was a close one. Rachel almost had a _lot_ of explaining to do. I never _did_ see that shirt again...

But that's another story entirely. Maybe I'll tell you that one later. Back to the bad plan at hand...

Rachel came down the stairs a few moments later. She had apparently put even more effort into her appearance than usual. Hair, make up, nails, the whole deal. I appreciated the effort, but honestly, I think she looks better without all that stuff. More...real, I guess. More...well, just more Rachel.

Rachel smiled when she saw me, but I guess she wasn't sure what to say. How were we supposed to act in front of her family? And what were we supposed to say. _"Hey, that slash on the arm that Hork-bajir gave you the other day really healed up nice."_? That wouldn't go over well.

Before either of us could think of anything to do other than grin at each other like idiots (and I'm sure Rachel was going to have to put up with some remarks from Jordan about that later), yet another woman came in. This one was older; Rachel's mother. What was her name? No clue.

"Good, you're finally ready. You're Tobias? I'm Naomi, Rachel's mother. Girls, are you ready to go?"

"Go?" I asked. "Go where?"

"Oh...didn't I mention that?" Rachel said. It was clear from her tone that she had intentionally left something out. Oh God...what fresh hell was this? "Our whole family gets together over Thanksgiving. Do you remember my cousin, Jake? We're going over to his house for dinner."

_Oh God_, I said to myself. It was one thing for Rachel's family to find out about us. And Jake sort of knew. But he had no idea how long this had been going on, or the extent of it. And I knew for a fact that his brother, Tom, was a Controller. So I definitely had to be extra careful. ((I hate you,)) I muttered to her in thought-speak.

"Also..."

"Also what?" I demanded. ((This is starting to sound like one of our missions. It keeps getting more and more out of control. And we're probably going to die.))

She smiled at that, but it faded when she said the next part. "Since he doesn't have a lot of family in the area, one of Jake's friends comes over for dinner, too. Do you know a kid our age named Marco?"

((You suck, you know that?)) "Yeah, I think I know him. Short, Hispanic guy who can't stop running his mouth at the worst possible time, right?"

"Yep, that's him."

((I can't believe I agreed to this. Hell, I can't believe _you_ agreed to this.))

"And..."

((Oh for the love of God, Rach, what now?)) "And...?"

"And my friend Cassie is coming over, too. Her family is going vegetarian this year and no matter how much that girl loves animals, it's just not Thanksgiving without a dead bird."

((You really had to say it like that, didn't you?))

She winced. "Sorry."

((Visser Three coming over, too? Or...)) "...is that all?" I asked, finishing the thought out loud. She hates it when I do that. It really throws her off. Good. She deserved it for springing this on me.

"Weren't the Chapmans going to join us?" Jordan asked.

((I swear to God, Rach...))

"They were, but they canceled. Some of their relatives flew in, so they're spending the holiday with them instead of us."

((Thank God for that, at least. Or probably the Ellimist. This sounds like something he would do. Did you two plan this together? Maybe I should grab Ax after all...))

"Don't talk like that. It's not going to be that bad," Rachel chided.

"Talk like what?" Jordan asked. "He wasn't saying anything."

"...uh..."

"He said it with his eyes," Rachel insisted. Not a good lie, but better than anything I had.

"Yeah...let's go with that..."

Rachel's mother shook her head. "Let's just get going. We don't want to be the last ones there. They don't even know we're bringing on extra. Get in the car, girls. Oh...and Tobias."

((You had better plan on giving me something to be thankful for.)) As I planned, she blushed and said nothing.

* * *

Ooookaaaay.... Look, I'll be honest with you. I have no idea when I'll update this next. Maybe (just maybe) I'll do it in a few days, arond Valentine's Day... Anyhow, I hope you aren't holding your breath because I can't afford for any more of my readers to die.


	3. Chapter 3HOLY TURKEY DAY! SURPRISE!

**WHOAH!** Is that an update I see before me?

Why yes, yes it is.

Does anyone remember how I said I might do this around Valentine's Day? Because if anyone tells you I said that, they're a liar...

Aaaaaaaanywho...... READ! You know; if you wanna. I assume that you wouldn't be on chapter three if you had no intention of reading it.

Unless you just like the way I type letters. Does that do it for you? I bet it does. You like it when I-

Sorry; forgot who I was talking to. Anyhow, enjoy!

* * *

**Rachel's POV** (Yeah, I know it's past Krixmuz now, but at least I finished it, right? RIGHT? WRONG! It ain't over yet, sweet cheeks. Maybe I'll toss out an ill-timed Krixmuz fic after this. But only if you're good. Or, you know, naughty in the way I like it. But we can discuss that later. Plus, some of you are probably underage, and that'll get me in prison, so forget I said anything. I'm too good looking for prison. It's not a pleasant experience. Although I'd probably get a killer body, since I'd probably have to work out all the time. And some sweet prison tattoos, too. But it's just not worth getting 'married' to some guy called Rook.)

Tobias was pretty...what's the word...filled with murderous rage when he found out that we'd all be eating dinner together. I guess I shouldn't blame him. I mean, if I had thought I was going to go hang out with him and Ax and then found out he had invited all the free Hork-bajir, too, I'd have felt the same. And it would probably have been really obvious to everyone around me.

But the thing about Tobias is that he doesn't remember how to show that he's ticked. I only knew for two reasons. The first is that he I knew him, and I knew he wasn't happy about this. The second was that he WOULD NOT STOP WHINING the whole ride over to Jake's house. I mean, sure, it wasn't a long ride, but still! I'd bet that Taylor didn't have to put up with this much complaining.

But, in spite of Tobias's prayers, we made it to Jake's place unharmed. It wasn't easy to find a parking spot, so we pulled in across the street, figuring the neighbors wouldn't mind. I mean, it was Thanksgiving after all. A day to get together with the family and ruin your diet, not yell at people for parking next to your house.

((So do you think Tom will use the carving knife from the turkey or just shoot us with a Dracon beam?)) Tobias asked me. ((Personally, I'm hoping for the knife. I mean, I get shot at SO many times throughout the course of my day that a knife would be really refreshing.))

I gave him a look. He knew what it meant. _"Will you shut up?_"

((And it's kind of ironic,)) he continued. ((I mean, here I am. The winged wonder. And to get carved up on Thanksgiving... It's almost funny, don't you think?))

I gave him the same look, but louder. Don't ask how you make a look louder. It's a gift.

((Well, you know... It _would_ be funny if we **weren't going to die.**))

I grabbed his tie and pulled on it, choking him a little bit. Just a little bit. Enough to remind him what happens when you ignore me. My mom and sisters turned to stare at us. It probably looked odd, me strangling my boyfriend in my cousin's driveway for no reason that was apparent to them. "It...was crooked," I told them, releasing his tie.

"Yeah, thanks for that." ((Oh, good. I may have forgotten how to do faces, but my sarcasm centers are still intact. Now I know what I'm thankful for.))

"Any time," I said, smiling. Then I repeated it, more like a growl this time. "Any time." Meaning that I'd do that any time he ticked me off that night.

It turns out that our little group was the last one to arrive. Everyone else was there. Jake's family, Marco's family, Cassie and her parents...and a guy who looked weirdly like all of them put together. ((And what the hell is Ax doing here?)) Tobias demanded. ((God, Rachel, this almost feels like some kind of Yeerk trap.))

I ignored him and made my way over to Ax after saying some polite hellos to the family and introducing Tobias as best as I could. When I managed to reach Ax, I almost grabbed him by the shoulders. "What are you doing here?" I hissed.

"Marco invited me. I know I should not have come; it is bad for security. But when he started talking about the feast, I could not resist. And Prince Jake said it was permissible..."

((Rach? Do you mind if I go Hork-bajir and go on a killing spree? And by 'do you mind', I mean would you actually morph to grizzly and try to stop me?))

"Ax," I said calmly, "Tobias is having fun with thought-speak. So do me a favor. Every time I nod at you, I want you to say two words to Tobias in thought-speak."

"What two words?"

"The first word is 'Golden.' The second is 'Eagle.'"

((Don't do this to me, Ax-man. It's only fair!))

((I am sorry, Tobias, but to be quite honest, I fear that if I do not obey Rachel, I will meet with some sort of physical harm.))

((Fight the power!))

I nodded to Ax. ((Golden eagle.))

In spite of himself, Tobias flinched. ((_Et _tu, Ax? Fine... I'll guess I'll just go and talk to Marco.))

That should have worried me, since Tobias and Marco don't talk much. Or at all, really. I'm pretty sure they've never had a meaningful conversation together. See, the thing is, Marco has made it the focus of his life to make mine miserable. And Tobias wasn't all that pleased with me tonight...

So when we all sat down to dinner, I shouldn't have been surprised when I found myself sandwiched between the two of them. As it was, I was only surprised enough to mutter, "Damn it," quietly. That just made both of them get these big, ridiculous grins on their faces. Well, as much as Tobias ever gets a big, ridiculous grin.

"So...when do we eat?" Jake asked his father, who was in charge this year. It alternated between his father and mine.

"Soon. We're just waiting on one more person."

"Who?" I asked.

"A very special guest. Tom, do you want to tell them?"

I felt a chill go down my spine. _Please don't tell me... _((Rachel, if he says what I think he's going to say, I'm out of here. I mean it. I will kill my way out of this room.))

"The head of the Sharing has decided to join us for dinner," Tom answered. The head of the Sharing meaning Visser Three. I grabbed Tobias's arm to stop him from picking up the knife that was next to his plate. If this was a trap, a butterknife wouldn't really help him. It would mostly just be embarrassing. Someone knocked on the door. "That should be him now."

Tom left the room and came back with two men. One I recognized as Visser Three's human morph. The other guy was a black man, about seven feet tall and looked like he was built to absorb bullets; or a nuclear blast. "I hope you do not mind," the Visser said to us. "I brought a friend of mine. This is my associate, Guraff."

((He has friends?)) Tobias asked.

((Impossible,)) Ax said instantly.

But Guraff didn't show the usual fear of the Visser's underlings. In fact, he seemed quite at peace. **"It is a pleasure to met all of you. Thank you for allowing me to join you on this holiday."**

"We're...going to need another chair," Jake's dad said after a pause.

"We're going to need a concrete-reinforced bunker to hold him up," Marco hissed. "That guy's HUGE! I bet he could wrestle a Hork-bajir," he added very, very quietly.

My uncle pulled up a chair for Guraff. That had to be a Yeerk name. Some sort of bodyguard. It made sense; Visser Three was vulnerable in his human form. Someone had to look out for him. And this guy definitely seemed like he could handle it.

((You think that chair will hold him?)) Tobias whispered. Funny how, sometimes, you have to whisper even in thought speech.

"He looks like a professional boxer," Marco muttered. "And the thing he boxes: polar bears. With rhinoceri on the side."

((Rhinoceroses,)) Tobias corrected.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. It's rhinoceri."

((No it isn't. Ax, tell him it rhinocerouses.))

((I am sorry, Marco, but Tobias is correct.))

Marco looked down at his plate. "Rachel," he asked quietly, "does it ever bother you that you hang out with nerds?"

"Marco, if I stopped hanging out with nerds," I answered, "when would I ever see you?" I paused and pretended to think. "Hmm...maybe I _should_ stop hanging out with nerds."

"Funny, Xena. Maybe next you'll-"

"I believe we're ready to begin," Visser Three announced, cutting through our thoughts. "How does this festivity commence?"

"You've never done this before?" my father asked. I gripped Tobias's hand under the table. _Oh God, Dad, no. Don't draw attention to yourself!_

"**He is...foreign,"** Guraff answered.

"I hide it well," Visser Three added.

Marco's father nodded. "I'll say. Where're you from?"

"Could we hold with the questions until _after_ Dad carves the turkey?" Tom suggested quickly.

"Always thinking with your stomach," my uncle muttered. "Fine, fine."

Tobias was squeezing my hand as my Uncle started slicing into the turkey. I can't say I could blame him. I mean, if I was sitting here watching a bunch of people gather around a table to watch someone cut up a dead and cooked human being, I'd have been more than a little freaked out, too.

((Raaaaachel...)) he whined. ((I think I'm gonna throw up...))

"No you're not," I hissed. "Come on; you see things get cut up all the time!"

((But none of them look like me!))

"This can't possibly be worse than seeing a Taxxon-"

"**Did you say something?"** Guraff asked, looking at me. I looked back at him. For a moment, my eyes met his. I was the one who looked away. And was very angry at myself for it. What was it about him that was throwing me off? It couldn't just be that he was the size of a Hork-bajir. There had to be something else. **"Did you say something?"** he repeated.

"Nothing at all," I said after some hesitation.

I turned back to Tobias, but I could still feel Guraff's eyes on me. "What was it you said about killing your way out of here?" I whispered.


End file.
